Kingsway Community Centre – success – but not victory…yet

I am really pleased that the City Council have taken on board my comments that the initially proposed £11k tax being levied on the provided community centre is too much. It is great that Cllr Fred Wood appreciated my arguments and took them to his officers and got it reduced. But for me,the rent reduction is not good enough, the rent should be a peppercorn rent, the City can not justify reaping over £117,5oo.oo for being the middle man in a key transfer.

It was great to be able to talk about this on BBC Radio Gloucestershire this morning, as well as being able to get my point of view through the articles in the Citizen. It is important that people recognise the significance of the profiteering that is going on.

The argument was put forward this morning that having a rental charge will “incentivise” the operator to keep it going. I think that if the operator is only in this to make money, then they are not the operator we want. It should be ran on a not for profit basis, where margin is reinvested in the centre and the community.

We must remember that the City Council have not built or maintained this facility and do not have any costs to recoup, all they will do is pass on the keys from the developers to the tenants and for that they will make a profit of £117,500 over the lifetime of the contract.

The people who suffer becauase of this Kingsway Tax is the residents of the local area, because the business case for the operator will need to ensure that the centre can cover its own costs. As far as I’m concerned, If the city council can see fit to halve the rent, then they should be able to do it properly and make it a nominal or peppercorn rent.

You can help in this, what do you think do you think its right for the City Council to profit to the tune of £117,500.00 for nothing? Let me know, let your friends and neighbours know and let the City Council know what you think!